Floor-treating machine.



No. 694,077. Patented Feb; 25, I902. F. BAASCH G. J. W. KRUEGER.

FLOOR TREATING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 4, 1901.)

(No Model.)

THE Nnnms wmns 00., PNOTD-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND RAASCH AND JOHN T. KRUEGER, OF MILXVAUKEE, WVISCON SIN.

FLOOR-TREATING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No. 694,077, dated February 25, 1902.

Application filed May 4, 1901- Serial No. 58,709. (No model.)

to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a vertical longitudinal section view of a machine in accordance with our invention, this View beingindicated by lines 1 1 in the second figure; and Fig. 2, a plan view of the machine, partly broken away.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates a platform, B an axle hung in bearings under the forward end of the platform, 0 O traction-wheels on the axle, and D a steering-wheel in swivel connection with said platform under the rear end of same, these parts in the arrangement specified constituting the carriage of our machine.

The traction-wheel C and a bevel gearwheel E are fast on the axle B, the tractionwheel 0 being fast or otherwise on said axle.

The bevel gear-wheel E meshes with a bevel gear-pinion F, that is loose on a stud screwthreaded in platform A or otherwise rigid therewith, this stud being best shown in Fig. 1. Rigid with the pinion-hub is a wheel H for the transmission of rotary motion by means of a belt I to another but smaller wheel J, fast on a vertical spindle K, that turns in the carriage-platform and a bracket L of the same, a spiral spring M being arranged intermediate of said platform and a washer N on said spindle under the smaller belt-wheel. While. we have shown the wheels H J as pulleys for a smooth belt, it will be found practical and perhaps preferable to employa link belt and make said wheels with sprocketteeth for the engagement of such abelt.

In fulcrum connection with ears of the bracket L is a bell-crank lever P, one arm of Held in detachable connection with the lower end of spindle K by a set-screw or otherwise is a head X in the form of a horizontal disk, the under working side of which is faced with sweeping, scrubbing, abrading, or polishing material, according to the work to be done with the machine, and a variety of such heads may be furnished with said machine to be interchangeable on the rotary spindle of same. The head herein'shown has its under side faced with a sheet Y of abrading or polishing material, a ring Z being employed to clamp the upturned edge of the sheet on the periphery of said head.

Propulsion of the herein-described carriage results in rotary motion of head X, and pres sure of this head on the adjacent floor-sur face is regulated by operating hand-lever-S to swing bell'crank lever P against resistance of the spring M, that constitutes a yielding support for spindlei K and its connections. The gearing above specified is such that the spindle and head in connection therewith are driven at a higher speed than that at which the carriage is propelled, and the contact of the under side facing of said head with a floor readily sweeps, scrubs, abrades, or polishes the surface of same, with which it is brought into greater or less frictional contact by means of the lever mechanism operated against spring resistance.

By having the handles '1 in pivotal connection with the carriage the machine as a whole is better suited to the convenience of persons of different stature,and,if found des'irable,the forward portion of the platform of said carriage may be made heavier than the remainder.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of a carriage comprising a platform, a rotatory front axle, tractionwheels on the axle, and a rear steering-Wheel; a vertical spindle for which the carriage is provided with bearings, a bevel gear-wheel fast with one of the traction-wheels on said axle, a stud on the carriage platform, a bevelpinion loose on the stud and, in mesh with said gear-wheel, a power-Wheel rigid with the pinion-hub, another power-wheel fast on said spindle, a belt connecting the two powerwheels, a spiral spring surrounding the aforesaid spindle between the power-Wheel thereon and said carriage-platform, a spindle-lifting bell-crank lever fulcrn med to a bracket of the carriage, push-handles in connection with said carriage, a hand-lever on one of the pushhandles, a flexible device connecting said 1evers, and a surface-treating head in connection with the lower end of the rotatory spindle.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing We have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two Witnesses.

FERDINAND RAASOI-I. J. WV. KRUEGER. Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, B. G. ROLOFF. 

